PS 26 students learn smorgasbord of skills with help of Staten Island theatre group

"Sundog Theatre provides a great opportunity for our children to explore performance and art in an educational aspect," says PS 26 Principal Laura Kump, of the collaborative theater project. "This is essential for children as they develop critical thinking and creative skills as well as public-speaking techniques." Above, Sara Jane Colchamiro-Dicks, left, and Leah Ambrosio, kindergarten students at the Travis school, prepare for their production of "The Very Hungry Caterpiller." On the cover, Mia Gonzalez, also in kindergarten, has the title role in the show.Photo Courtesy of Sundog Theatre

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Everyone remembers their first school performance, but for a group of special needs children and students at PS 26 in Travis, the experience was even more meaningful, as they worked together to stage Eric Carle‘s classic tale of “The Hungry Caterpillar.”

For the past two months, Sundog Theatre teaching-artists Mary McConnell and Emily Ellison have been working with students at PS 26 to create the school’s first collaborative theater project, funded through a grant from City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) and the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

During the project, students, with the guidance of Ms. McConnell, analyzed Carle’s popular tale. The teaching-artist helped students use their “acting tools,” incorporating, body, voice, mind, and imagination. The ensemble of actors learned lines, rehearsed, and performed on stage — most of them for the very first time.

Ms. Ellison directed fourth- and fifth-graders in the technical theater component of the program. This group created costumes, props, and scenery for the kindergartners who performed the play.

Her students studied Carle’s illustrations and then adapted them by designing, cutting, gluing and stapling their own creations using recycled materials.

The program is sparking interest in performance and technical theater careers. 

LIFE-CHANGER

“The club not only inspires the younger kids, but the older kids too. We are role models for the younger kids,” said fifth-grader Maya Taraf.

PS 26 principal Laura Kump, said the Sundog Theatre program fits the school’s philosophy of developing the “Leader in Me” in every child.

“We focus on incorporating ‘The 7 Habits of Happy Children’ by Stephen Covey, into all our curriculum areas. Sundog Theatre provides a great opportunity for our children to explore performance and art in an educational aspect. This is essential for children as they develop critical thinking and creative skills as well as public-speaking techniques,” she said.

Ms. Kump said the theater program “combines literacy and socialization skills such as brainstorming, collaboration and teamwork, while “reinforcing Common Core skills such as listening, speaking, and real work applications.”

Parent Madeline Gonzalez said the program was very helpful for her children, Kaitlyn, Matthew, and Mia.

“The Theater Club has been a wonderful way for my children to uncover their hidden talents, express themselves artistically, and boost their self-esteem. Their lives have been enriched by this program and I can honestly say that they will never be the same.”

Kindergarten student Sarah Jane Colchamiro-Dicks said she had fun in the theater program.

“I had lots of fun in the club. I liked the costumes. The older kids put stuffing in them and they were really comfy,” she declared.

Fifth-grader Andrew Michail said the theater program sparked his imagination and allowed him to be a role model for younger students.

“The Costume and Theater Club is good for your imagination and creation, and it inspires the younger kids to be like us,” he said.